I
Introduction
There is no doubt that this project is inspired by Troels SBA 941. I really appreciate his work and all he does for a DIY community.
Eventually I used the same shape and size of enclosure, similar drivers with one exception in the tweeter section and as x-ovr from Troels is not available I did it myself.
This is the result of the box assembly:
Final result
Bas driver selection
SB Acoustics SATORI WO24P-8
There is no doubt this is a significant woofer. What brought my attention is: reasonable sensitivity based on 8 Ohm coil, Qms 5,7 (we might expect good control), Mms 44,5g which is good for the size, strong magnet system which gives us good Qes and finally Qts. This driver goes well in bassreflex and in closed enclosure. I regret not using it in a closed box.
This is what it does:
The Bass driver’s performance is great. Measurements:
Red = 1,5m distance from microphone, Black = nearfield 5mm from the speaker
Seems like it could do the work up to 1kHz. This should be max xovr point. But anyway for the size of a 24cm speaker I wouldn’t go too high.
My final thoughts after extensive tests is that this is a decent driver, however it is not a game changer in comparison to any NRX other drivers e.g. SB23NRX version.
Mid driver performance
SB Acoustics SATORI MR13P-8
Seems to be well built, frequency smooth up to 5kHz. There is an issue in the area of 1,3-1,5kHz. This is even more visible in the directivity analysis. Probably as Troels analyzed this could be improved but for me not worth spending money.
Red = 1,5m distance, black = nearfield
For me the usable frequency is from 300Hz up to 2,5kHz – 3kHz. I would target this frequency for a good blend with a tweeter.
Final thoughts after testing with different xovrs. I prefer a smooth and natural sound in mid range. And this is not what you can get from this driver. It gives its own taste to the sound. It is not transparent and clear. There are two options: you will love it or you will hate it.
Tweeter selection and performance
Scan Speak D3004/662000
This is great driver but I see some serious issues:
- it starts playing from 500 Hz. Usable bandwidth starts with 1,5kHz.
- there is a bump in a region of 4kHz.
- Accuracy +/- 2,5dB
Above is the measurement of two speakers in the same conditions. Because of this example now I always measure two speakers. During listening tests I noticed some small difference between left/right channels. I was confused as there was no mistake in xovr, cabling etc.
It occurred that they are not well paired. Those Scan Speak drivers come in one box but they are NOT paired! Please note it. Then I compared to seas, SBA, Bliesma and they were much better paired.
Very disappointing for the top end drivers.
I found confirmation of my finding here:
https://www.speakerdesign.net/scan_speak/tweeters/6600/6600_tweeter.html
Different xovr versions:
- 400Hz 12dB in bass section. Following Troels.
Vituix simulation
Result measurement in CLIO
Listening impressions
A lot of bass, really a lot. I can hear the dip in 1,5kHz region, bad blending with tweeter. Those speakers are definitely not neutral.
- Smooth midrange and tweeter blending, bass up to 800Hz
Vituix simulation
Result measurement in CLIO
Listening impressions
This is a very transparent speaker now (or coloured by midrange?). Mid and treble are great, even disturbing(again midrange). Due to higher crossover point the bass now is not so strong – good results.
- Damped treble
Vituix simulation
Listening impressions
As the second version was tiring after longer listening time I had to do something about it. I put the level of a tweeter down. Additionally I did small changes in SPL and phase alignment. The result was good. Much improved. Probably the best version.
But my patience with those speakers ended and I sold it looking for a new experience 🙂
Final thoughts:
I was expecting a lot from those speakers but was really disappointed. The speakers overall in comparison give coloured sound. No transparency, tiring. You can play a lot with xovr however you will not get rid of the character of satori drivers. Finally I would go for xovr points 400Hz and 3,5kHz with 2nd order – last version of xovr.
Not enough fun and quality for the money and effort. I wouldn’t go for satori drivers anymore for bass and mid. Next is to try NRX performance e.g. SB12MNRX and a monster SB34NRX.